Main Street

Tuesday, November 9, 2021 - Dr. Jack Bacon is a 31-year veteran rocket scientist at NASA, following in the footsteps of his grandparents who opened the doors of NASA’s precursor (the NACA) in 1920. Dr. Bacon has spent his career as a key technical integrator of the International Space Station, and for the last six years has been coordinating national and global practices to reduce the production of orbital debris. He’s coming to North Dakota to make public appearances in Bismarck, Fargo and Grand Forks, and he’ll also be visiting more than a dozen schools. ~~~ O Beautiful is a new novel by Jung Yun, who grew up Korean-American in North Dakota. The novel, which is just out today, presents an unflinching portrayal of a woman trying to come to terms with the realities of a deeply divided America.

Monday, November 8, 2021 A regional partnership will help more than 300 beginning farmers and ranchers on the northern plains explore the viability of going organic. Here to tell us about the “Preparing a Resilient Future” is project lead Jeff Schahczenski, and NDSU agronomist Clair Keene. ~~~ In an excerpt from the Prairie Pulse television show, host John Harris visits with Rudie Martinson of the North Dakota Hospitality Association in a discussion of the pandemic’s impact on the service industry. ~~~ “Warriors of the North Healing Through Arts” is a project that helps veterans process their trauma histories through art. One of those activities includes the creation of masks, an expression of feelings and experiences. We share a feature prepared by Prairie Public producer Andy Garske. ~~~ Chuck Lura shares a Natural North Dakota essay about the Leonids meteor shower and the upcoming lunar eclipse.

Sunday, November7, 2021 - Journalist and author Katie Hafner, and bioethicist Amy Scharf have launched a new podcast titled “Lost Women of Science.” They join us to discuss the importance of recognizing and remembering these important female trailblazers. ~~~ Misfire, written by NPR investigative reporter Tim Mak, is a blistering exposé of the National Rifle Association. He joins us to discuss his investigation. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews “Last Night in Soho,” a psychological horror film from director Edgar Wright.

Friday, November 5, 2021 - Jeff Benda is a wild game chef. He's teaching an upcoming zoom class on cooking with wild game. ~~~ We share an excerpt from this Sunday’s Great American Folk Show as we hear from letterpress printer Ben Blount. ~~~ Dave Thompson is here for our weekly news chat. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews “Last Night in Soho,” a psychological horror film from director Edgar Wright.

Thursday, November 4, 2021 - Misfire, written by NPR investigative reporter Tim Mak, is a blistering exposé of the National Rifle Association. He joins us to discuss his investigation. ~~~ November is Native American Heritage month, a good occasion to profile another of this year’s inductees into the North Dakota Native American Hall of Honor, the revered leader Sitting Bull. ~~~ Sue Balcom is here for Main Street Eats, and in today’s conversation she goes off in a new direction with some thoughts on farmhouse architecture!

Wednesday, November 3, 2021 - Journalist and author Katie Hafner, and bioethicist Amy Scharf have launched a new podcast titled “Lost Women of Science.” They join us to discuss the importance of recognizing and remembering these important female trailblazers. ~~~ Dan Pemstein, associate professor of political science and public policy, has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant to study the impact of misinformation on social media and how countries seek to control online space. Pemstein is the principal investigator for the project, which is part of a larger collaboration with investigators at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Brandeis University.

Tuesday, November 2, 2021 - NDSU Professor Clay Routledge is the editor for a new web-based publication titled Profectus, that features thoughtful essays and interviews on improving the human condition. Clay joins us to discuss this collection of compelling themes, and to share the story of the publication’s creation. ~~~ Chuck Lura has a Natural North Dakota essay titled the “Perils of Migration.” ~~~ Douglas Wolk is the author of “All of the Marvels, a Journey to the Ends of the Biggest Story Ever Told.” Wolk has read all 27,000+ Marvel superhero comics and has written extensively about the art form. His book explores Marvel’s decades-long story and its expansion into the cinematic universe. He visits with Prairie Public movie enthusiast Matt Olien.

Monday, November 1, 2021 - UND philosophy professor Jack Russell Weinstein is here with another episode of Philosophical Currents as we look at issues through a philosophical lens. This month we talk about the recent Dave Chappelle comedy special, The Closer. It’s sparked a lot of debate within and about the LBGTQIA+ community. Jack examines the role of comedians in tackling social justice issues. ~~~ In an excerpt from the Prairie Pulse television show we learn about a $12 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to address eating disorders. Sanford Research, NDSU, UND are among the institutions that will work on the project. Host John Harris visits with Dr. Steven Wonderlich, vice president and chief of behavioral health research for Sanford Research.

Sunday, October 31, 2021 - We hear about the Conservation Forage Program from Joshua Lefers and Amanda Booher from Audubon Dakota. ~~~ The North Dakota Human Rights Film Festival is coming up. Joining us are Sean Coffman, executive director of The Human Family; and Falcon Gott, the festival’s Native American programming director. ~~~ Tom Isern shares a Plains Folk essay, “A Dearth of News.”

Friday, October 29, 2021 - Each month news director Dave Thompson welcomes two guest journalists to participate in our Journalists Roundtable. Joining us this month are Joe Radske, news director at KVRR-TV in Fargo; and Jacob Notermann, reporter with KFYR-TV in Bismarck. ~~~ Matt Olien reviews the new “Dune” adaptation from producer-director Denis Villeneuve.